At The Beginning, With You
by Romance-Oubliee
Summary: She had never seen someone with eyes so vibrant, so alluring. They captivated her, drawing her in. Ever since the beginning, the owner of those eyes had practically owned her. Harry O. x OC. TASM movieverse
1. Prologue

**This is just little snippets about how Harry met an OC of mine, Claudette, in the boarding school that his father sent him to. Anyway, forgive me if there's any misspelling, or unsuitable choice of diction. English is not my first language, and this story IS unbeta-ed. Then again, it's just something I typed on my phone during my subway ride this Sunday afternoon. **

Disclaimer: I don't own The Amazing Spider-Man or any of its characters. If I do, DeHaan's Green Goblin will be much much much more appealing. The lyric used in this story is _At The Beginning_ by Richard Marx.

* * *

_We were strangers, starting out on a journey_  
_Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through_  
_Now here we are, I'm suddenly standing_  
_At the beginning with you_

* * *

He was angry. He was confused. But most of all, he was scared.

He was just eleven, and his father had all of a sudden sent him away to a boarding school. In England. It was a country so foreign to him. Even they spoke English just like he did, still the accent was so different that it all sounded so alien.

So he wasn't really interested in making friends.

He just wanted to go home.

* * *

She was curious. So she stole another glance at the new boy. He had the most captivating eyes. The pair of bright blue orbs was screaming so much, yet his lips were sealed in a thin line, not saying a word.

She could see that the boy was rigid, much like herself a few years ago, when her parents left her in that school. She understood his unspoken fear, and she disliked the frown that marred his beautiful features.

And so, she decided that her new objective was to befriend the angel. For she knew fear was capable of turning even the brightest angel into the darkest demon.

* * *

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

His eyes snapped up, surprised that someone was even considering to seat across him while there were so many empty tables in the room.

What shocked him even more was the fact that it was a girl about his age, with grey eyes so light, that it was almost silver, and her wavy hair was so black that beat the colour of the darkest ebony. The contrast brought out her eye colour to the extreme, making the orbs looked like two glowing moons.

He just shrugged his shoulder, though, having no intention to start up any conversation.

"I'm Claudette. Claudette MacManners," the girl said again. As he made no gesture to introduce himself, the girl continued, "it was sarcasm, you know. I'm not Scottish. The name's actually Claudette Rutherford," she paused again, waiting for his non-existent response, "But then again, it's only the right manner to tell your name to someone telling you theirs, isn't it?"

So much for trying to keep silent.

And so he stared back at her, square in the eyes, and told her his.

"It's Harry Osborn."

* * *

"Harry, wait up!"

Harry sighed. The Rutherford girl really hadn't left him alone since their introduction half a year ago.

"Oof. Sorry."

There it was, the expected thud every time the girl was running to catch up with him. How a single person can display so much clumsiness, he had not yet figured it out.

"You really need to stop running about, you know. I wonder how you haven't fallen off the stairs," he told her when the girl reached his side and they resumed walking to their next class.

"As a matter of fact, I had! It's quite a record that I haven't since you came, though," she grinned in response.

How she said that as if it was an achievement was beyond his understanding.

* * *

"Claudette! You okay?"

She threw him a grin, assuring him that it was nothing serious.

She was running down the stairs, away from him after she messed his hair, something she knew he disliked. And of course, she had to bump into someone and missed the rest of the steps, much to his horror. During their two years of friendship, even in her clumsiest moment, Harry had yet witnessed his friend falling down the stairs, something that, she claimed, was not something of rare occurrence before their meeting.

"I'm alright, you worry-wart. It's not like I landed on my head or something," she laughed as she took his outstretched hand and let him pulled to her to stand on her feet.

"That's what you get for ruining my hair," Harry flicked at her forehead, only earning himself another laugh instead of a pout.

However, she winced as they stepped away from the bottom of the stairs, and Harry didn't miss that.

"Not that lucky, it seems," she winced again as they took another step before she snapped her fingers and beam at him, "Will you be a Prince Harry for me, Osborn, and carry me to the infirmary?"

"Not a chance, Rutherford. Not a single chance," Harry sighed, though Claudette couldn't hide her smile as Harry wrapped an arm around her and helped her limping to the infirmary.

* * *

**A/N: So, I just watched TASM2 last Friday, and just like most females in the world, was held captive by DeHaan's Harry Osborn. I know I have one super old fic still hanging out there, and yes I still intend to finish that up (despite the many years that has passed), but then again, DeHaan's Harry Osborn was just searing a plot bunny inside my messed up mind.**

**So far, I am planning to make a fic about Harry and Claudette, oneshots about how their relationship develops, or how they'll be after Harry gets back to NY and, well, all those events in the movie occur. It will be based on the movie only, as I'm not that much of a hardcore MARVEL fan (though I do love watching the movies). But then again, whether or not those _plans_ will happen, depends on the readers' response.**

**So, leave a comment, or PM me, or anything, to let me know about ****your opinion on this story.**

**-Aria+**


	2. Home

**A/N: I fixed some things in the first chapter. **

**The events in this fic won't happen in chronological order. It will be random moments between Harry and Claudette throughout their years in the boarding school. So we might see one when they're in their eighteen in one, and back to when they're twelve in the next one. In this one, they're both fifteen.**

* * *

Harry stumbled as someone jumped onto his back and latched their arms around his shoulders. He made sure not to hit the wall, though, for fear of hurting the person on his back; because there's only one person who's impulsive enough to do that in the school after all.

"Harry, Harry, Harry! They're home! They're visiting this weekend!" Even in the supressed squeal, Harry could hear her excitement as clear as the day.

He knew he should be happy for his best friend, yet he couldn't help but to feel the slightest pang of jealousy that seeped into his heart.

And her next word made him guilty for even letting himself feeling it.

"I'm not going home, though. There's no bloody way I'd have the heart to part with you even for a single day," she elaborated as she slowly release her grip on him and move to step into his view, her signature face-splitting grin in place.

Harry shook his head at her antics. He had been in the boarding school for nearly four years, and he had only met the girl's family once; that was a few months after he came, yet his best friend didn't seem to be missing her parents that much.

Well, that wasn't much of a surprise, though, considering how Claudette told him that the family was rarely together at all, even before she entered the school.

"Don't you want to see your home? Your old room? Anything?" he asked her as he took her books from her hands, glad that they didn't make contact with his head when she threw herself onto his back earlier.

His best friend, in exchange, only threw him a confused look, as if he had just asked the most illogical question ever, and asked him back, "Why would I want to do that? I left that place when I was seven, Harry. I'm–we're–fifteen now. Any attachment that I used to have to that house is practically non-existent now," she shrugged nonchalantly as she followed him down the halls, heading to the dining hall for breakfast.

Well, at least she was still excited to see her family. That had to be some form of affection, right?

"The only reason why I'm so excited about their visits is because they always bring so much chocolates, and pretty music boxes!"

Or not.

"Could you at least pretend to be sincerely missing your parents?" Harry sneered slightly as the girl's petty reasoning. Though he himself held little no none affection for his own father, but girls were supposed to be more attached to their family, weren't they?

"I don't know, Harry, I barely remember their voice off the phone, or how their laughter actually sounds, or…" she didn't even finish her sentence, giving him a hesitant shrug instead.

And he knew her well enough to know that despite her ignorant words, she was actually upset about the matter at hand, and he loathed that.

So he playfully poked her side.

"Harry!" she squealed in annoyance, though a giggle did escape her lips.

Harry smirked.

Much better.

* * *

Claudette couldn't hold back her excitement upon receiving the news that her parents would be visiting this weekend. So, when she saw her best friend standing there, she didn't really think ahead before throwing herself onto his back, holding back a squeal as she excitedly passed him the news.

Until the realization that Harry's father had never visited him once hit her.

She felt like she was the most insensitive friend as she carefully lowered herself on the ground and told him that she was not going to leave for the weekend. She did not miss the relief that spread across his face right after.

Her family enrolled her into the boarding school as soon as she was eligible. Her parents only saw her once every four years. Her only memory of her house was the constant absence of her family.

She really couldn't remember whether or not she had a solid bond with her family. She knew that her parents were the picturesque of the perfect husband and wife. They were sweet with each other, and each fight would end up with sincere apologies. They moved a lot due to their works, but always made the time to call their only daughter to ask about her doings (and lately, Harry's as well). To make up for their lack of presence, they always brought back presents for her, stuffs like chocolates, and her favourite: unique music boxes from all around the world. They would also tell her everything about the places they're staying in, so she wouldn't feel left out. She knew they loved her so much, as she did love them too. But they're never actually there.

Didn't mean that she was not happy to see her parents, though. Unlike Harry, she held no grudge at her parents for sending her into the boarding school. They had a legit reason: taking her with them meant that she would have to keep on transferring schools until she graduated high school; definitely would not do any good for her education, let alone her psychological health, at that. When she was much, much, much younger, her parents would take her along on their longer trips, thus forcing her to change schools a lot. They rarely stayed in the same city for long, so even though she had met so many new friends, she had no chance to bond with them, hence the reason why she treasured her friendship with Harry more than anything.

As she felt Harry poking her side, she could not even describe how grateful she was for having him on her side, knowing that he did it because he knew; because he understood her.

"What do you think we're having for breakfast today?" she pinched his hand playfully and dragged him into the dining hall as her eyes searched for empty seats for the two of them.

She pinched him again, a bit harder this time, as he snorted.

"It's not like they change the menu every day, Rutherford."

Harry was there to help her on science projects. Harry was the one to remind her to put on extra layers of clothing on the colder days. Harry was constantly present for more than a thousand consecutive days.

Harry was her home.

So yeah, she really was the luckiest girl.

* * *

**A/N: So I decided to take up the challenge to actually write this as a story. Basically, it will be a compilation of oneshots, though. I also plan to make another Harry-Claudette fic, about them during the TASM2 movie. That might take a while, though. This fic will be my priority at the moment. Anyway, can someone tell me how old is Harry in TASM2?**

**However, I cannot promise routine updates. I'll try to update at least once (or twice, if we're lucky) in a week. Much to my dismay, I'm not that talented and creative; thus it might take a while for me to come up with new ideas. Which is why I encourage you, lovely readers, to send a review, or PM, or anything, to let me know if you have any particular moments that you wants to see between Harry and Claudette. Oh! And don't forget to let me know if I made any mistakes in here. Any constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

**Their relationship may develop into romantic one. Who knows? ;)**

**Anyway, as some of you might (or might not) have guessed, the theme song for this fic is _At The Beginning_ by Richard Marx. The song was a soundtrack from the 1997 animation, _Anastasia. _So we might see the lyrics pop up here and there, maybe not in every chapter, but it will definitely be popping up sometimes.**

**-Aria+**


	3. Reason

Claudette could feel herself getting restless.

She could not find Harry Osborn in the chapel. He was supposed to be there, waiting for her to finish the choir practice. She had made him promise to do so, just to show him their school's choir activity. She had been trying to make him join any extracurricular to no avail; and even though she knew that he was unlikely to be a musical person, she really wanted to try.

She just did not think him as someone who would miss a promise, though.

So when she noticed that he was not in the dining hall for lunch either, she was starting to get worried. She finished her lunch as quickly as possible and dashed to the library, thinking that considering how smart the boy was, he would be spending his weekend reading books. But he was not there. In fact, he was nowhere to be found. He was not skipping stones by the lake, he was not in the common room, and according to the boys she had been asking, none of them had seen him since morning. It was almost he had left the school ground. As if he had vanished.

But he did not mention anything about leaving this weekend. If he did, he would have told her, wouldn't he?

000

"Hey, Rutherford!"

She was walking around the dorm's garden in hope of finding her new friend. At the sound of her name, Claudette spun or her heels instantly, nearly losing her balance though she managed to catch herself before actually falling.

Only to find out that it was not the person she was looking for.

"Why aren't you with that new bloke? Osborn, isn't it?" the person who approached her was visibly taller than herself, and obviously older, too. He was their house's male prefect and she had known him since her first year in the school.

"You tell me, Langley. I have not seen him since morning, and been looking for him since lunch," Claudette exhaled deeply, "Have you seen him?"

Langley shook his head, which caused Claudette's shoulder to slump lower.

"You know that it's not your responsibility to keep him company, don't you? We are thankful that you help him to be at ease here, but–" but Claudette cut him off mid-sentence.

"Don't be silly, Langley. I don't do it for anyone's benefit but my own," Claudette waved her hand casually, "I enjoy his company, and it's my own decision to befriend him after all," she added with a smile.

Albert Langley smiled back and tousled her hair in return. Being the practically permanent resident in the school, Claudette often approached anyone new and offered some sort of assurance that being a boarder wasn't all that bad. She usually left them to do as they fancied after they're comfortable enough; but Harry Osborn was the one and only who she stuck with for such considerably long period of time.

"I think you'll be a good influence on him, Rutherford. That kid's way too stiff for someone your age," Langley paused briefly, "being the sole heir for the magnificent Oscorp Industries may not be that fun."

Truth to be told, Claudette didn't really understand the meaning behind her prefect's word. Sure she had heard the name Oscorp Industries, but what that had to do with Harry Osborn, she was not sure.

To her, Harry Osborn was a new bloke that looked like an angel minus the supposedly joyful atmosphere for a kid that bright. He seriously needed to loosen up and hang out with other students more. She knew how hard it was to be suddenly apart from one's friend, and she wished she would be able to help him get through it as soon as possible.

Or was it because of her ego, not wanting to let him go now that she finally met someone who would not leave anytime soon?

* * *

Harry himself wasn't sure why he let that Rutherford girl tailed him nearly everywhere on the school ground (aside from the boys' wing, that was). He even let himself being led around, being introduced to several people from their year. Couldn't she understand that making friends really wasn't his best interest? He just had been forced to part with his best buddy a little while ago, after all.

Still, he was curious about the girl. She was mostly carefree, always greeting everyone she knew with a bright smile, yet he had caught her staring longingly every time the five-day boarders left the house for the weekends. After he snapped at her when she pried about why he was sent so far away from the States, she seemed to understand that family was a sensitive topic for him, and thus never actually talked about her own to him. And he surely was not going to ask.

He was not even sure why she started talking to him at all. Perhaps it was because of her embracing nature. But then again, he didn't see her being so adamant in being around anybody aside from himself. Sure he saw her conversing with other students in school, but it was him that she shadowed around. Once, out of annoyance, he asked his housemate about that, only to be teased that the girl might have developed a crush on him.

But she was never shy around him. Ever since she greeted him in the library a few months ago, she always seemed so genuine, never seeming to stutter or fluster when talking to him, never seeming to hide her true nature; unlike other girls who just met him for the first time. He, being just like any other eleven year old boy (albeit not that ordinary due to his father's company), did not really understand why those girls couldn't act the way Rutherford did and were so skittish when talking to him.

Anyway, he wanted to see how that Rutherford girl would react of him not being around without giving her any prior notice. Would she actually care to look for him (which was what he expected from her)? Or would she let him be?

000

Harry sneaked away from the hallway as he noticed Claudette's approaching form, hoping that she wouldn't have noticed him. It had not been easy, avoiding her, because she definitely knew their house's layouts like the back of her hand, having the privilege of living in the building for about four years while he only had a couple months.

"Playing hide and seek, Osborn?"

Harry was startled hearing someone behind him spoke to him.

"She has been looking for you, you know," the person, his prefect, tilted his head to the side, following the direction from which Claudette was seen earlier.

The copper haired boy kept his mouth shut and trained his gaze on the older guy. He was so not listening to someone trying to reprimand him for being curious.

"Look, I'm not going to bloody meddle with whatever happened; it's your own business. But Rutherford is an incredibly pleasant kid to hang out with, and she seems to be determined to befriend you. So if it annoys you, you'd better tell her straight away instead of playing hide and seeks like this," Langley paused, wanting Harry to actually follow his words, "Just so you know, she has never been so determined to stick by a single person's side for this long. She really could use the company, kid."

His blue eyes widened for a fraction, a look of surprise in them.

And without saying anything, turned his back on the prefect to catch up with the black haired girl that was heading to the common room.

* * *

"There you are!"

Harry had entered the common room as his eyes searched the space when Claudette noticed him.

The beaming smile she was giving him was probably the brightest that he had seen so far.

"I've been looking for you, you know. You had me worried when you didn't show up for lunch. Were you not feeling well?" While boring her grey eyes into Harry's pair of dazzling blue, Claudette asked curiously, and genuine worry was blatantly etched in the innocent question.

"No, I–"

"Have I done something wrong? Annoying you, perhaps?" She cut him off before he could even answer properly.

"I'm just curious," he blurted quickly, hoping to catch her attention before she bombarded him with another strings of questions. Luckily, it did grab her attention as she closed her mouth, swallowing back whatever questions that she was about to throw at him.

Claudette gestured him to explain his answer, tucking her dark locks behind her ears to show him that he now had her full attention.

"You're weird, you know. You don't seem to know who my father is, yet you insist on befriending me," Harry started, gauging her reaction as her face morphed from one of curiosity into confusion, "I don't understand why you want to be my friend if it's not because who my father is." Even his friendship with Peter happened practically because of their parents' relationship.

The black haired girl didn't immediately give him an answer. She was mauling over the right one in her head. She was starting to see that apparently, Harry's father was one with major influence and it seemed that Harry's previous friendships were all based on his father's influence. But she had been in the school since she was seven and at that time, Harry hadn't been a student in it. The fact that her parents had not visited her even once, they had no influence over her decision in making friends. So befriending him because of who his father was was definitely out of option.

As far as she was concerned, there was only one reason that made her greet Harry back then.

"It's your eyes. They draw me in."

She showed off her rows of pearly white teeth and grabbed his hand, dragging the stunned boy for supper.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not exactly pleased with this chapter. Perhaps I'm just trying too hard to picture how eleven-year-olds would act. I might re-do this chapter later.**

**Anyway, I want to thank anyone who has read, favoured, followed, and reviewed this fic. The happiness I feel every time I see an email noticing me of your supportive gesture is not something I can describe with words. So again, thank you all! :D**

**There are so many prompts waiting to make an appearance in this fic, much more unique interactions between Harry and Claudette, and I hope that you'll continue to support me. Reviews, no matter how simple they are, are always the biggest motivation. **

**Please stay tuned for other chapters to come! :)**

**Love,**

**-Aria+**


	4. Flu

**A/N: Important notice at the ending section author's note. **

**I hope this chapter's better than the previous one. Enjoy!**

* * *

Harry casted another worried glance as he heard Claudette coughed. Again.

The girl had been in a coughing fit since early in the morning. Apparently, she had fallen asleep without shutting her window closed. Who would open their window at night at this time of the year, anyway? He was glad that it hadn't come with a fever, though.

"Miss Rutherford, are you certain you don't fancy resting for today?" their World History teacher, Mrs Potts, paused her lecture and asked his friend in concern, though Harry did not missed the hint of annoyance lacing her question. He could not blame their teacher, though. The sound of rustling leaves outside the class was distracting enough. They really could do without someone coughing every once in a short while.

"Pardon me, Mrs Potts, but I prefer sitting the class, if it's alright," replied Claudette hoarsely after unsuccessfully trying to clear her throat several times.

Harry understood that Claudette's reluctance to leave the class was most likely caused by their school's strict requirements when it came to attendance. But then again, there was always exception for some circumstances, and having their teacher offering her to take a rest as she was obviously under the weather, Harry believed that it should be okay for her to leave.

He took a glance at his watch; only a ten minutes left for the fourth period, and after that they would have an empty period before lunch time. He was so going to force the girl to get some rest before lunch and took some medicines after, then hope that it would not get any worse. He was not looking forward to calling her parents and told them that their only daughter had caught flu for the God-knew-how-many times on this term alone.

Cold and flu were something that happened seasonally for Claudette; most of them would be gone after a few days of good rests, but sometimes, those more serious, would last even more than a week and at the worst case, would require her to take a week off school and stayed in the bed, driving her into boredom.

And extremely bored and sick Claudette is also not someone he looked forward to be dealing with.

Why would he when the last time he had to deal with it, he was forced to learn that–

Forget it. Even recalling what he had to do was enough fuel for his determination to get Claudette impeccably healthy as soon as possible.

* * *

"Blimey, Harry. Do you have to be such a mother-hen?" Claudette whined weakly as he dragged her back into their house, "Even Mum has never been this insistent to make me rest when I'm sick."

But then again, it might be because Mrs Rutherford was rarely (or never) in direct contact with her when she was sick.

Harry ignored her protest as they reached the entrance to the girls' wing and flash a polite smile at the holographic security system to register his visit to the girl's dorm. For younger boarders, crossing to the opposite gender's wing was strictly prohibited, but the rules were much more flexible for those older than fifteen, as long as they kept their personal discipline. After all, one did not simply forget years of self-control drilled into their daily life.

"Harry Osborn: Requesting permission to visit Claudette Rutherford's room to take care of her while she's sick," he stated, waiting for the security system to process.

"Permission granted. Welcome, Mr Osborn. Please uphold the house rules and report back if you are staying for more than three hours," came the monotonous reply from the AI as the automated glass door opened for them.

Claudette snorted at Harry's politeness even toward a hologram image; granted it looked human enough (if you could ignore the fact that it was semi-transparent) and even capable of beholding basic facial expression such as smiling politely, but still, it was just… well, a hologram.

Not to mention that it was a product of Oscorp Industries.

"Would it not be easier if they just give you unrestricted access to any facility using your father's company's service?" she asked, followed by a subdued cough, as they reached her room, "especially here, in which you are a student as well."

"That's not ethical, don't you think?" Harry motioned her to scan her fingerprint on the scanner and followed her inside as the door opened, "And it's not like my father even knows that my school is paying for his service."

It was quite recent–just starting from the beginning of the school term, actually–that their school had adopted Oscorp's security system in the houses, mainly those housing long-term students. While it felt weird at first (because reporting to a hologram was not that common), but the older students found it enjoyable because asking permission from a hologram was definitely less unnerving than asking the House Master/Mistress; and even more entertaining when the more rebellious students decided to test the system's response to loutish languages (to their surprise, the system seems to have extensive knowledge of coarse languages, including those of French, German, Italian, and Spanish.)

Claudette wondered if Harry had been surrounded with that kind of security system before he came to the school, but she knew better than to talk about anything related to his father for more than one question, so she shoved the question to the back of her mind; save it for later, or even never.

"Where did you keep your flu medicine?" Harry asked his best friend, casually tossing his navy blue school blazer onto her desk and started opening her drawers, in one of which, he knew, was where she usually kept her stack of medicines.

Claudette groaned at that and plopped herself down on the window-sofa. "Harry, please. It's just cough. I am sure drinking bloody lots of water will be enough to do the trick."

The copper haired male raised an eyebrow, but kept on rummaging through the drawers. It should be either the top or the second one: He remembered storing them away somewhere about.

"You know that I'll honestly tell your mom when she calls tonight, don't you?"

If there was one thing that Claudette (light-heartedly) regretted the most during their five years of friendship, it was probably introducing Harry to her parents (and let them met twice, at that). Her parents were quite attached to the boy and trusted him to actually point the truth if she was ever in trouble.

Worse was that her mother believed there was something romantic going on between them.

Sure, Harry was an attractive guy. And Claudette definitely was not blind about that. People saw that the two of them had been in each other's company for about five years: of course there would be people thinking that they were in an exclusive relationship (to which Harry agreed to: their friendship is exclusive. He did admit that he would not welcome anyone who came between them. Spoiled brat). But they had been the best of friends for years, and merely thinking of having a romantic relationship with Harry seemed... weird.

"Mum will not make that much of a fuss; I think she will likely ask you to stay away so you won't catch whatever germs I'm spreading instead," the raven haired scowled at the capsules Harry had finally found and prepared for her to drink after lunch, "Dad, however, will definitely pester you until you relent to admit that it was probably your fault."

Harry chuckled, agreeing to Claudette's statement to some extent. Putting the fact that Mr and Mrs Rutherford were rarely there in person aside, the pair was very affectionate: Mrs Rutherford was very warm and caring, yet she expect her daughter to be an independent woman while Mr Rutherford, on the contrary, was the one who loved spoiling their daughter. Harry envied his best friend for that, for he barely remembered his own mother and his father never cared about him; but yet at the same time, he respected and adored the Rutherford parents, and was happy for his best friend will never experience the bitterness he felt toward his own.

"Anyway, just take a rest, okay? I'll bring lunch up for you," Harry ruffled her hair and headed out. Lunchtime was due in five, and if he wanted Claudette to have her lunch before going to the afternoon class, he'd rather hurry before the dining hall was overly crowded.

However, Claudette merely shook her head, "Don't bother. I'll just see you in the afternoon class," and as she saw that Harry was about to protest, continued, "I'll make sure to eat something just so I can eat the med before going to the class, but now, I just wanted to lay down a bit. Off you go, Osborn," she gave him a playful shove toward the door.

Truth to be told, she could feel her body getting more and more uncomfortable, starting to get little shivers here and there, but she had no intention to make Harry hassle more than he already did, so she was glad that Harry agreed to leave her room quickly. The moment her room's door closed with a click, she opened her laptop and logged into her student's account, informing to her teachers that she would be missing the rest of her classes for the day.

She would deal with Harry's annoyance after supper.

* * *

On the second period of the afternoon classes, Harry Osborn was torn between the feeling of annoyance and worry.

He was worried because Claudette did not show up like she said she would, and annoyed because while she did notice their teachers about her absence, she tricked him into going to class without telling him that she was feeling worse than she did in the morning.

He would make sure her parents heard about this later.

* * *

When someone rapped on her door not long after supper, Claudette was not surprise to see that it was Harry with a basket of dinner roll in his hand. Even the annoyed glare of those prefect blue eyes could not diminish the adorableness of the sight before her, so Claudette could not resist but to offer him a thankful smile and a peck on his cheek to silently tell him how grateful she was for his consideration.

And Harry could not stop the majority of his annoyance from ebbing away.

"You should have told me. I was terribly worried about you throughout the afternoon," he exhaled, offering Claudette a bowl of cream corn soup that he brought back from the dinning hall.

"I know, I know. But if I told you before lunch, I know you will make a fuss and probably insist on staying with me instead of attending classes; I can't have you do that, Harry," Claudette rebutted, "And after having extra naps, I'm feeling so much better now. Well, the cough's still there, but it is better."

"I am still telling your parents," Harry said with mock irritation, smirking as Claudette let out an audible groan.

* * *

Thankfully, Claudette was well enough to join the prep session. Harry, being the genius of the two, took the responsibility of helping her catching up with the lessons she missed today. It was really fortunate that she only missed the afternoon ones and not the whole day, so they managed to wrap it up in the first half of prep time. They spend the second half previewing tomorrow's lessons before heading to the internet corner to call Claudette's parents on the free time.

"You really should not coddle her that much, Harry. Claudette should have known better how to take care of herself," was the expected reaction from Claudette's mother. The woman was still in her working suit, having just gotten back from work.

Harry could not hide his amusement as Claudette shot him a 'see-I-told-you-so' look.

"I told him that already, Mum," Claudette complained, "but he just won't listen. Anyway, where's Dad?" Claudette swiftly steered the conversation away. She was not in the mood of being lectured because her Mum seemed to prefer Harry better.

"Be glad that he is not home this time. He had a late meeting and probably will not be home until an hour or two," Mrs Rutherford heaved a sigh, "I'll tell him that you catch a flu again. Expect an extra lengthy text from him in the morning, dear."

It turned out that her attempt was not really successful.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the late update. I had minor exams this week; But that's not actually why I'm struggling to write a decent chapter. I know that I shouldn't be having reasons not to write, but this is bothering me like crazy.**

**I'm having a fall-out with (supposedly) a good friend of mine. We used to joke around all the time, and suddenly she acts like she despises talking to me, to the point that she'll just leave me if I ever approach her in the class. At first, I thought it's because she's currently preparing for a very important exam and it's pressuring her; but then, I notice that she has no qualms in chatting with my other friends, perfectly okay when my roommate makes a visit to her room. **

**The hardest part is that we are in a same peer, and while I really want to ask our mutual friends whether I'm just being paranoid, I know that they are closer to her than to me and will definitely brush me off if I do ask. It's really eating me out, considering that before this, we have the closest relationship compared to others in our small group.**

**I know that this may not seems like a huge ordeal, but still, being a few countries away from home and suddenly receiving a cold-shoulder treatment from someone so close is really starting to take its toll on me. And while I usually tell my parents about whatever happened here, I can't bring myself to tell them about this for fear that they'll get overly worried. **

**Luckily, I have another group of friends that I'm starting to spend a lot of time with lately (after finding out that one of them also loves Loki, Sherlock, fanfictions and Marvel related movies), and we start hanging out together a lot. While my heart still worries about the falling out, at least there are people who I can have fun with without worrying about whether or not I'm being too fangirly.**

**I'm so sorry for ranting out like this in the author's note section, but I was on the verge of breaking down and really, really need to get it out. If any of you does read this, I thank you so much. The reason why this affects this fic is simply because ****_At The Beginning, With You_**** is revolving around Harry and Claudette's friendship; imagine trying to write a friendship blooming in a boarding school while you can barely knock on your best friend's dorm room without the fear of being turned away.**

**Anyway! I'm sorry I posted such unsatisfactory third chapter. I can't blame you if you thought that it was unworthy of a review. Still, I'd like to thank you all for those favourites and followings. I tried my hardest to write a longer chapter this time, and hope this one'll worth more than two reviews ;)**

**-Aria+**


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